My husband was called for jury duty this week and found himself in jury selection for a case involving a very popular restaurant. The complainant was a woman who said she got carpal tunnel syndrome on the job, was treated, and then six months later was fired. My husband was picked as Juror Number Two [...]Read More »

Laura Ingalls Wilder – wrote her first book when she was 65. She was depleted of resources by the great depression and friends encouraged her to write down her experiences and stories. That first book led to many others and would turn into the popular TV series, “Little House on the Prairie.” Sister Marion Irvine – [...]Read More »

This is the bread I make at least two or three times a week. As my business has been growing and I found myself with less time, this bread recipe has become the bread I make most often. It only has four ingredients and takes about 5 minutes to throw together. Then I let it [...]Read More »

A few weeks ago I had a dream about kefir. I was watching TV in my dream and heard a newscaster say that kefir had swept the world and there was now kefir in every kitchen. I woke up and carried that dream with me for weeks. If everybody drank kefir, the world would be [...]Read More »

Your body’s ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe. My husband is used to my crazy new ideas and has become accustomed to my enthusiasm for whatever happens to be my latest discovery. He goes along for the ride but never jumps in with both feet until coaxed. Kombucha was [...]Read More »

My husband was the last one in my family to try cultured foods. I experimented on my children first. My kids were sick and I wanted them to be well, so we all ate cultured food and miracles occurred. Everybody got better and as the cultured foods began to take over my kitchen counters my [...]Read More »

It’s January and it’s cold here in the Midwest. All I want is hot tea and soup. It’s hard for me to want a cold smoothie when I am craving warmth and comfort, but high heat kills the probiotics in my cultured foods. Well, not all is lost because I have found a probiotic soup [...]Read More »

Kombucha, pronounced kôm-bo͞o-CHA, is a beverage produced by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast and bacteria. The good bacteria and yeasts eat the sugar out of the tea and make probiotics and then produce a naturally-occurring carbonation. You don’t get tons of sugar because the bacteria eats it. Actually, this is what all [...]Read More »

It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m writing my blog and reflecting on 2014. I experienced so many changes in my life and business, blessings that I count every day, but mostly it was my own body that once again has taught me the most. I am always wanting to be better and grow. This past [...]Read More »

This has been a busy year at Cultured Food Life. I don’t do this alone and I have a wonderful team helping me. Many thanks to Ron, Chris, Jane, and Maci for all the support and strength they give me. I couldn’t do it without you nor would I want to. You’re the very best [...]Read More »

I made a series of videos for my Biotic Pro Members called The 12 Days of Kefir. These 12 videos are all about making holiday Christmas recipes with kefir. It was super fun (and crazy) trying to film it all in a couple of days. It was so intense filming these videos that my video [...]Read More »

The Miracle in the I Can Do It Conference Three years ago I went to an I Can Do It conference and it changed my entire life. At the time I was a new self-published author and sat in the back and listened to many of the wonderful speakers, but one in particular stood out [...]Read More »

These are recipes that I make and create during the holidays. Eat probiotic foods during the holiday and they will help you stay in balance. Remember – the probiotics in cultured foods eat the sugars in the food. Then they eat them in you when you consume them. This creates more balance in the body [...]Read More »

SOLD OUT!! Saturday February 7th, 2015 Have you heard about The Trilogy? Kefir, kombucha, and cultured veggies are three cultured probiotic foods that can change you life and your body. These are three of the most powerful superfoods you can eat and Donna wants to teach you how to make them a part of your [...]Read More »

Several years ago I taught a Cultured Food Christmas Class where we had all kinds of cultured food Christmas dishes. One of them was Coconut Kefir Eggnog. We had tons of samples, but when we passed around the samples of Coconut Kefir Eggnog people began to moan and ask for more. Eggnog was an early [...]Read More »

Dear past, thank you for all the lessons. Dear future, I am ready. ~Donna I was twelve years old and taking a school field trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the largest battle of the American Civil War as well as the largest battle ever fought in North America, took place. Little did I know that [...]Read More »

Years ago when I was young and raising my kids, I was often influenced by well meaning friends and family. They scared me to death with the latest news they had heard and would say, “Don’t eat this and don’t let your kids do this and did you read that story about how bad this [...]Read More »

The tallest tree in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground. This is a cashew apple tree. Cashew nuts are actually the kidney-shaped seeds that adhere to the bottom of the cashew apple grown mostly in Brazil. Interesting, isn’t it? Cashews are all the rage these days and used in [...]Read More »

Try to understand your kefir. If you pay really close attention, the billions of organisms will transform your food and then transform you. Is your kefir separating into whey and curds? Is your kefir thin and runny? Most of the time this is because it is over fermenting and you need to add more milk [...]Read More »

Sold Out! When? Saturday January, 24th 2015 Have you heard about the Trilogy? Kefir, kombucha, and cultured veggies are three foods that can change you life and your body. These are three of the most powerful super foods you can eat and I want to teach you how to make them a part of your [...]Read More »

All the forces in the world are not so powerful as wisdom that has been discovered by someone who needs it. ~ I had no idea just exactly what I was making when I created this recipe several years ago. I just thought the combination tasted good and seemed to give me spectacular results [...]Read More »

This last summer has been crazy hectic for me. With my daughter getting married and a deadline for my new book looming, not to mention the fact that both my husband and I have our own businesses . . . it’s been intense at our house. I started feeling the pressure and found myself in [...]Read More »

People often ask me about water kefir and milk kefir and which type of kefir I think is more beneficial. Water kefir is a nondairy kefir that is gaining in popularity. Many people start with this method of making kefir because it’s so easy and fun and they want a nondairy option. It’s made with fruit [...]Read More »

Many of you write me and ask how you can encourage friends and family to eat these foods. Like you, I notice how sick our loved ones are and want to help them but they don’t always want to listen. This is something that has happened to me many, many times and I finally discovered [...]Read More »

The bubbly kombucha wasn’t opened yet. But there was an audience to watch I assure you. This is the process at my house. My daughter Maci got married and moved to a farm with her husband. She has a couple apple trees and she’s making tons of recipes with apples in them. Before her husband, [...]Read More »

Last Tuesday morning I woke up hearing voices in the hall. It was my husband and daughter Holli, and I could hear Holli crying. She was throwing up and having diarrhea and was very upset about it. In our family we are so accustomed to wellness that when someone gets sick it feels like the [...]Read More »

Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet, eating her kefir and whey. Along came a spider who ate alongside her, and happily digested all day. In the summertime I receive many letters from people who have trouble with their kefir separating into whey and curds. Part of this is the warmer temperatures and also the [...]Read More »

Meet the new Superfoods that can heal you when nothing else works. I am excited to be going back to New York to teach – The Trilogy, three foods that changed my life and can change yours too. This will be the most extensive class I have ever taught. This is a crucial time [...]Read More »

It was early 2002 and my sixteen year old daughter climbed out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. “How do you feel this morning?” I asked. Her response broke me. “I never feel good anymore mom. I feel bad all the time. My stomach hurts after everything I eat.” What had happened to my [...]Read More »

Every year I plant my garden, anxious for my fruits and veggies. But each year I don’t plant cucumbers because each year they come back anyway. They will sprout in different places in my garden, always in a place where they can have lots of room. It just makes me laugh and excites me. It [...]Read More »

It was 12:30 am and once again I found myself wide awake. It is an interesting phenomenon that has been happening to me this summer. It seems that I am needing less and less sleep. The older I get, the younger I feel. “What is up with this?” I said to myself that particular night. [...]Read More »

The Many Legends of Kefir One of my favorite things about kefir is the many stories, legends, and history behind it. It has been around for thousands of years and the stories are many, as are the mystics behind this food. It would make a great documentary! One of the first stories I heard dates [...]Read More »

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Donna. She lived at the edge of the Cultured Food Forest with her family. One morning, Donna went deep into the forest to gather berries for her Kefir Breakfast Pudding. It wasn’t long before she lost her way. Donna wasn’t scared though, and she loved [...]Read More »

I am excited to be a part of the The Home in Harmony Master Class. I was interviewed for this series with over 20 other Experts who share their Secrets about Health, Home, & Happiness! There is no more comforting place in the entire world than my home. It is a haven and as I am writing my new [...]Read More »

Many years ago I was addicted to diet cola. I know, I know. It is terrible for you. But still, I couldn’t stop drinking it. I had drunk it for years and when I first started eating cultured foods they made me want to conquer my addiction. But try as I might, I couldn’t stop [...]Read More »

I have been getting a lot of letters asking if you can ferment vegetables with water kefir or kombucha. You can ferment vegetables with these two different cultures, but you will get different bacteria and you will also be diminishing one of my very favorite bacteria that makes cultured vegetables so strong and unique, Lactobacillus [...]Read More »

Do you feel alive each day? When your feet hit the ground in the morning are you pumped about the day? Do you feel appreciation and love for others? Do you have energy that will last all day? Did you know that you are supposed to feel this way? It is not something that is [...]Read More »

I am pretty sure that owning a frozen ice cream machine has solved 90% of all my problems. I’m always looking for ways to enjoy my kefir. I make mine with stevia, and kefir ice cream can be enjoyed anytime – even for breakfast! This is made with kefir and lemons. It is creamy, light, [...]Read More »

Happiness often sneaks in a door you did not think was open. One of my favorite things about summertime is the farmers markets and fresh veggies. Turing fresh produce into perfectly preserved cultured veggies makes me so happy, but it wasn’t always that way. When I was growing up, every summer my mom and her [...]Read More »

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. This is a favorite summertime salad made with cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions that are abundant in the summertime. The taste is so light and fresh that I can eat gallons of this salad. I have had this [...]Read More »

Every day I receive many emails from people who are new to fermenting and want to do a good job. They are afraid they are going to do it wrong, mess it up, or make themselves sick. I know from their letters how hard they are trying. Fermenting foods feels so different from anything [...]Read More »

In these summer months, has your kefir been fermenting faster and turning into curds and whey before you know it? In the summertime, kefir can change and many people think something is wrong with their kefir; then they throw it away which gives me complete anxiety! Don’t throw it away, it’s still good. Let me [...]Read More »

I love to eat and make different types of yogurts in the summertime. I’ve been having lots of fun making these yogurts made famous in different parts of the world. I have been telling my husband for months that I want to move to an island where it is summertime all year long. I dream about [...]Read More »

A few weeks ago my daughter, Maci, came to me asking for cultured food at her bridal shower. She was wanting some cultured veggies and the next thing I knew I had a whole bunch of cultured foods to make. I don’t know why I do these things to myself; but after all, I am [...]Read More »

I often make fermented vegetables using a canning jar with a lid, but there are many methods and vessels you can use to make cultured vegetables. Some say you should only use an airlock jar to culture vegetables. They claim that the canning jar method doesn’t seal well enough to remove the oxygen (removing the [...]Read More »

It’s almost summer and that means it’s almost “Delicious Cultured Veggies” season. People ask me all the time what I use and how I culture my veggies. DO YOU NEED A STARTER CULTURE TO MAKE CULTURED VEGGIES? No, you do not need a starter culture to make cultured veggies. However, by using a starter you [...]Read More »

How did I get here? I was a new mother at 41 years old, falling apart, and paralyzed with fear. I was sick with diabetes and suffered from high blood pressure. I also had a brand new premature baby girl in my lap. I knew that I was in trouble and I desperately needed help. [...]Read More »

This last month my husband and I had our 30th wedding anniversary. Ron and I and our three kids are a tribe and we’ve always done everything together. This was the first vacation we have had alone since our honeymoon which we spent on a houseboat in Lake Powell, Utah. So it seemed only appropriate [...]Read More »

My daughter Maci asked if I would make her chocolate, peanut butter, probiotic, sugar-free birthday cupcakes . . . my word, that’s a lot of words. This is what I came up with. They are gluten free and sugar free. Made out of walnuts, they taste like brownies. My younger daughter, Holli, had one for [...]Read More »

My dad had his pilot’s license and would take me flying with him. I remember the very first time he took me flying. I was pretty little and as we took off to the skies I watched the houses and trees get smaller and smaller. I squealed and told my dad it looked like doll [...]Read More »

“How do I apply all this cultured food stuff to my life? Where and how do I get started?” This is something that I hear quite often. People want to change their life and feel better but don’t know where to start. What makes people change their lives while others stay stuck in old patterns [...]Read More »

Are you ready to master kefir and eat it every day? Most diseases begin in your digestive system, including physical and mental disease. Once you heal your gut, your digestive system will begin to work properly again and disease symptoms will begin to resolve. Kefir is a great place to start. I have had my [...]Read More »

My family has a history of high blood pressure. I struggled with high blood pressure on and off for years and was told to just expect to take medication for it. This made me fighting mad, and I didn’t want to accept it as predetermined destiny that I had no choice over. I wanted to [...]Read More »

Do you believe that healing requires a miracle? Or do you believe that our trillions of cells govern themselves and create the bodies that we have? So how does the eye know how to focus or the muscle know how much energy it will need during your walk today? These are the unseen workings of [...]Read More »

As a kid I spent many summer vacations in Nova Scotia on a small island (Cape Sable) where my grandparents lived. Their home was right on the water and it was over 100 years old (see pictures above). My great grandpa, Captain Horatio Brannen, was a sea captain and built the home there. He was also [...]Read More »

I’m very excited to start having live Google Hangouts on my site, filming from my home. I love interacting with you, and I thought this would be a fun and easy way to connect with my Biotic Pro members who are too far away to attend a class. I’m going to be answering your [...]Read More »

When? Saturday April 19- 2014. Sold Out! Have you heard about the Trilogy? Kefir, kombucha and cultured veggies, are three of the most powerful super foods you can eat and I want to teach you how to make them a part of your life. It is the one thing I have found most effective in [...]Read More »

“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.” Epicurus A few years ago, a woman named Shelley came to my cultured food class. I couldn’t stop staring at her while I spoke, and I told my daughter that I thought I saw a light over her [...]Read More »

Kombucha is growing in popularity and for good reason. The detoxifying power of kombucha is enormous. It has been recognized for its ability to counteract liver cell toxicity. As you drink kombucha, you will notice a flushing of toxins from your body as it filters toxins through the kidneys and the bowels. It purges you of [...]Read More »

I am excited to be doing a class at: New York’s Leading Center of Holistic Learning and World Culture. The New York Open Center is located in the Madison Square Park North Neighborhood, above Union Square and Gramercy Park, east of Chelsea and Herald Square. Our address is 22 East 30th Street, New York, NY [...]Read More »

Five Reasons to Eat Sprouted Flour. 1. Sprouting changes everything in the bread. It puts vitamin C, B, B2, B5, B6. and carotene, which are converted to vitamin A. The nutrients increases dramatically, sometimes eight-fold when the bread is sprouted. 2. It deactivates Phytic acid, which is a known mineral blocker that inhibits the absorption of calcium, [...]Read More »

Support Bacteria – they’re the only culture some people have. So, what is the difference between kefir and yogurt? Which is better? Kefir is far superior, but yogurt has its benefits too. I read once that yogurt is like wine and kefir is more like champagne. It has more pizazz! To state it simply, yogurt [...]Read More »

Fairest and best adorned is the salad whose dressing is cultured. I have been making this salad a lot lately. Last week I had my nephew, his girlfriend, and my older kids spend a few days with me due to a snow storm. I watched these five young people devour this salad and ask for [...]Read More »

A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses. ~Hippocrates I found cultured veggies in the most unlikely way, but really it was the veggies who found me. They opened a door to a world that was made [...]Read More »

Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World with it’s Incredible Properties. I love, love, love coconut oil for a myriad of reasons that relate to many different aspects of my health and wellness. First of all, coconut oil is a medium-chain fatty acid. This is a saturated fat that’s found in coconut [...]Read More »

“Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.” ~Albert Schweitzer I get hundreds of emails about the subject of Candida and a lot of them are asking me why so many health care practitioners don’t recommend the consumption of fermented foods if you have candida. Most physicians and well meaning practitioners only know of [...]Read More »

A habit is something you may not know you are doing; but once you realize you are doing it, you can stop doing it or keep it going. So why don’t we stop doing things that bring negative consequences into our life when we do them? Perplexing, isn’t it? You just know somewhere deep inside [...]Read More »

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day This is one of the most personal blogs I have ever written. I wrote it several years ago but never published it. What I didn’t know was there would be many more things that would happen in those few years and I would be glad I waited. I [...]Read More »

Christmas at our house is a huge celebration. My daughter, Maci, has been labeled “Christmas Maci” because she wants to celebrate it in July, so it was no surprise when she came up with this recipe for “Candy Cane Kombucha.” It is delicious, festive, and full of peppermint. I love it, and so will you. [...]Read More »

This is a guest blog by Annabelle, a California Country Gal with a great blog and yummy recipes. I love her recipes and her new book on Real Food Cupcakes made with whole real foods. She made a super easy cultured food recipe, and I’ve been making it several different ways. It’s so simple and delicious [...]Read More »

Have you heard of the fermented probiotic drink called Rejuvelac? The first time I heard of it I was just beginning with all things fermented and this drink intrigued me. I was fermenting so many things and I wanted to try this drink that so many raved about. What is Rejuvelac? A drink made from [...]Read More »

I am very privilege to be a part of a great seminar with 24 top experts that share their secrets to Elevated Living. Twelve years ago my life was very different. I felt horrible, discouraged, and sad and I wanted to change but didn’t know where to start. That was when I found cultured foods [...]Read More »

“Is it just a coincidence that as the portion of our income spent on food has declined, spending on health care has soared? In 1960, Americans spent 17.5 percent of their income on food and 5.2 percent of national income on health care. Since then, those numbers have flipped: Spending on food has fallen to [...]Read More »

I get a lot of people writing me letters indicating that they are afraid they are going to get sick from eating cultured foods. They don’t understand cultured foods and how they work; preconceived ideas and the media have created fear, a lot of fear. There is one particular story that floats around the internet [...]Read More »

“As the crust of a sourdough boule protects the tenderness within, so it is with the artisanal baker” Sourdough was one of the last cultured foods I tried. I found it had more of a learning curve than the other cultured foods but wasn’t hard, just new. I didn’t have anyone to help me and [...]Read More »

“You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.” ~ Joseph Campbell The summer of 2012 I was sitting at home reading emails when I got a new one in my inbox. It looked like an ordinary email, but this particular email was one that [...]Read More »

When: October 25th 2013 Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm EST Where: Quest Bookstore 242 East 53rd St. Manhattan, NY 10022 Located between 2nd and 3rd Avenue.Take the “E” or “M” train to 53 St/Lex.Ave Take the “6” train to Lex./51 St. I am excited to be going to New York City, to teach a Cultured [...]Read More »

“You say that the world doesn’t need a hero, yet every day I hear people crying out for one.” ~ Superman When I was a kid, I loved Superman comic books. Yes, I grew up in the days when comic books were very popular, and I am proud of that! At first, it was just [...]Read More »

I have a lot of people who ask me about weight loss, so I thought I would share with you somebody who has made a big impact on my life and diet mentality. I love Jon Gabriel and his book The Gabriel Method. Jon is a biochemical researcher who lost 226 lbs and wrote an [...]Read More »

“About eighty percent of the food on shelves of supermarkets today didn’t exist 100 years ago.” ~ Larry McCleary Do you have picky eaters at your house? Do your friends and family scoff at eating cultured foods? Well, let me tell you about Mister Picky Eater, my husband. When I married him (30 years ago) [...]Read More »

With gluten allergies on the rise, does it make you wonder why suddenly so many are struggling to digest wheat? For thousands of years our bread was prepared and made differently. Find out how to prepare bread with ease and special cultures that not only make the bread digestible, but also sky rocket the nutrients. [...]Read More »

Cultured Holiday Class in Pasadena California When: Sunday November 10th 2013 Time: 3:00 – 4:30 Where: Unity Church of Pasadena 3053 Del Mar Blvd Pasadena, CA 91107 http://www.unityofpasadena.org/ I am excited to be going to Pasadena, California, to teach a cultured food class. It will have a special holiday theme. Learn how to make Probiotic [...]Read More »

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” ~ Lewis Grizzard How do I know that a spoonful of this dish has 65,000,000+ probiotics in it? There is a cultured Green Tomato dish on the market, made by Bubbies pickles, that is fermented. They had it analyzed for probiotics and [...]Read More »

“Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense.”~ Henry Miller About ten years ago I went to a class on “How to Make Sourdough Bread.” My daughter had gluten intolerance and we found that she could eat sprouted bread without the [...]Read More »

Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind. ~Thomas Jefferson Emotions are my best friends. They help me not only understand my present state but also how my body is doing. Researchers are discovering, that an imbalance in your gut can cause mental symptoms. They call the gut the second brain, and [...]Read More »

Learn how to make Probiotic Cultured Vegetables. These are super foods loaded with powerful probiotics and enzymes. They help you digest your food and remove pathogens and toxins. They also deliver more minerals and nutrients to your cells - all in one spoonful of cultured veggies. Everybody knows that vegetables are good for you, but when you ferment them you super charge them and make them more beneficial than they already are. Don’t can your garden produce, ferment them. No heating up your kitchen in the summer with canning.Read More »

I’m excited to be adding more events on cultured foods! Getting out and attending live events is one of the most important secrets to my success in all areas of my life. When I attended classes and events, I found myself immersed with others who were living the principles I desired. I was then able [...]Read More »

Everyone needs reminders that the fact of their being on this earth is important and that each life changes everything. ~Marge Kennedy I get a lot of emails telling me how cultured foods have touched and changed people’s lives. Often, well almost always, they will make me tear up as I read them. You see, [...]Read More »

Most of you don’t know what processes are actually happening inside of you every day. There are microorganisms everywhere and you can’t see them, but they are inhabiting you and everything else. You are 100 trillion cells of bacteria. Do you know how much that is? To get a point of reference, you could take [...]Read More »

Trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. Fermentation is an art form and each individual cultured food is, in and of itself, unique. These three foods each provide different good bacteria and yeasts that enhance the trillions of bacteria [...]Read More »

Cultured vegetables are so easy to make and almost foolproof with just a few exceptions. First of all, this is one of the safest ways to preserve your vegetables. It is scientifically impossible to get botulism from cultured vegetables. Here is a great video and post on this if you’d like further information. Fermenting Tip: Put [...]Read More »

I love Reubens. I mean, I really love Reubens, but this sandwich although not a reuben is my absolute favorite. I could eat it every day of my life and never tire of it. When you add my special Billion Bioticland Dressing, it makes it something special. It tastes like Thousand Island dressing, but has [...]Read More »

Having babies is a big event. For me it was life threatening and life changing. My third pregnancy was actually the catalyst for this blog, my website, and my books. My pregnancy was a scary event – things quickly went from bad to worse and they delivered my baby 7.5 weeks early to save my life and hers. Never did [...]Read More »

I am joining Mike and Christine Hursey at their Casa Somerset Villa for a fun class of making probiotic cultured vegetables. These are super foods loaded with powerful probiotics and enzymes. They help you digest your food and remove pathogens, toxins and deliver more minerals and nutrients to your cells all in one spoonful of [...]Read More »

If I had to choose only one cultured food, which would it be? If I were banished to a desert island, which one would I take to live with me, leaving the others behind? I really love them all, and it kills me to think about choosing just one. But if I had to choose, it would be milk kefir – mainly because of the benefits I received immediately [...]Read More »

Some days I wish I had been a singer, or at the very least a songwriter. The process of creating recipes feels the same to me. I’m putting my thoughts of food to my own music. Music was and is one of the most important things in my life. I was a music major [...]Read More »

Part of the secret to a healthy body is to eat probiotic foods and let the food fight it out inside. ~ Donna Many people wonder if probiotic pills provide the same benefit as probiotic foods, they seem to be marketed in the same way—healthy bacteria for our guts. However, probiotic foods work significantly better [...]Read More »

I grew up in Laurel, Maryland, which is twenty one miles from Washington, D.C. My dad loved all kinds of foods, so growing up, we always had food adventures. On Sunday nights we went to a crab shack in Baltimore, Maryland, where we got crab cakes on club crackers with a pickle on top. On [...]Read More »

Cultured Vegetables Can cultured vegetables develop botulism? No. Botulism is reserved for canned goods because the heat used in canning kills all the good bacteria. When culturing foods, the healthy bacteria thrive and make it impossible for the bacteria that cause botulism to survive. How long do I culture my vegetables on the kitchen [...]Read More »

Kombucha My SCOBY sank to the bottom when I made my kombucha. Is it okay? It is 100 percent okay if your SCOBY sinks. Sink or float—it makes no difference to your kombucha. It won’t affect the brew or taste. My kombucha is still sweet. What did I do wrong? Your house is [...]Read More »

Kefir Why is my milk kefir starting to separate and curdle? It has cultured faster than expected. This is not a bad thing. It just means that your kefir is ready. Remove the grains, and shake or stir the kefir to mix it together again. Why is my milk kefir culturing so fast and [...]Read More »

How long should I let my grains sprout? The optimal amount of time to sprout your grains is 36 hours. You will see very tiny white stubs coming out of the end of the grains. Long sprouts on the grains are not desirable. A tiny sprout is best. When you sprout it longer, it alters [...]Read More »

I get asked a lot about dairy-free kefir options. I have seen some amazing results with kefir made from coconut, almond or walnut milk. I highly recommend these non-dairy milk kefirs if you want all of the benefits of kefir without the dairy. Of these non-dairy milk kefirs, I have noticed that coconut kefir brings the [...]Read More »

Fermenting Tip: Kefir I’ve been making kefir for 11 years. That’s a lot of kefir day in and day out, so I know a lot about what works and what doesn’t. I always shoot straight with you and will never tell you to do something I don’t do or believe in. Through the years, I’ve [...]Read More »

A few years ago, I had a great plan to sell cultured veggies at a health food store and they were so good they sold out again and again. This all started when I was handing out samples at my cultured food class and people were raving about them. I thought,” I’m gonna sell them!” [...]Read More »

Did you know that kefir is five times more effective than yogurt? Yogurt has seven probiotics and homemade kefir has 30 to 56 probiotics. This is why we are learning all about kefir in this class. It’s more powerful than yogurt and most other foods on the planet. Kefir changed my life and it can [...]Read More »

These Healthy Cookie Bars are chock-full of all kinds of good things. They are made with sprouted flour and six other healthy ingredients. I am always looking for things to pack in lunches and serve to people who come to my home. When you sprout grains and use the flour to make treats for your [...]Read More »

Salad in a Fermenting Jar. Travel Food with Culture. I spend almost all of my weekends in the spring and summer out of town at the lake. Because of this, I have to pack coolers and take food with us. I am always looking for things that are easy and ready to eat. Salad in [...]Read More »

What is a healing crisis? Healing crisis is something that happens when the body starts a detoxification process which is really a program of natural healing. This is a common occurrence among some individuals who start consuming cultured foods. When you start consuming cultured foods, your body is flooded with good bacteria. Then there is a dying [...]Read More »

Have you tried making your own nut milks? Walnut milk is delicious and easy to make. I have been trying a lot of different recipe using different nut milks and I am really enjoying them. Kefir is easy and fun to make using nut milk, and is a great dairy free alternative to regular kefir. [...]Read More »

Have you tried a million different diet and life style plans? Well I have. I have stacks and stacks of books that I kept by my bed for 25 years that include every type of book on the planet. My husband would laugh at me because he said I could build a room of just [...]Read More »

Did you know that kefir is five times more effective than yogurt? Yogurt has seven probiotics and homemade kefir has 30 to 56 probiotics. This is why we are learning all about kefir in this class. It’s more powerful than yogurt and most other foods on the planet. Kefir changed my life and it can [...]Read More »

Perhaps you’ve seen this happen, and it even happens to me from time to time: My kefir will get really sour. This can happens for several reasons. During your first ferment you let your kefir ferment too long on your counter, or your house might be warmer than usual. Kefir will also ferment quicker if your [...]Read More »

There are twelve inches of snow here in Kansas City and I have been housebound for three days. I’m starting to go a little nuts and have been working nonstop on edits for my new book. (Coming in October!) I decided I needed a break, so I made my little girl and me some coconut [...]Read More »

So many people are struggling today with digestive issues and food allergies. My daughter Maci used to be one with severe food allergies. My daughter and so many of my friends and people who come to my classes have turned their food allergies and digestive issues around. There is a reason so many are struggling [...]Read More »

We shot a video at “Casa Somerset,” a bed & breakfast nestled in the middle of Kansas that had the feel of a real Italian villa. This was a special evening with fermenting friends. Most of the foods were cultured and oh-so-good for you. It’s really quite simple to include cultured foods in your regular [...]Read More »

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” ~Stephen R. Covey, best-selling author and speaker. Would you like to feel better? How about fantastic? Well you can! It is really [...]Read More »

So many people are struggling today with digestive issues and food allergies. My daughter Maci used to be one with severe food allergies. My daughter and so many of my friends and people who come to my classes have turned their food allergies and digestive issues around. There is a reason so many are struggling [...]Read More »

It’s important to get the right containers for kombucha because kombucha is a carbonated beverage that requires bottles that can withstand the pressure. This is why it is important to know which ones to use. Kombucha is well worth the trouble of getting the right bottles.Read More »

It was a winter afternoon eleven years ago and I was sitting in a chair, wondering how in the world I got to this place in my life. My life was filled with sickness and disease and I thought my body had betrayed me. Doctors were telling me this was normal with age. I had [...]Read More »

Nothing is more important to me than having my kombucha be bubbly. When it is not.. well, it hurts my feelings. Seriously, it does. I need the fizz. It’s important to me. It also means that I have not given these microbes enough food to do their job. I have to do my part so [...]Read More »

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas Eve. I am wishing that I could have all of you over for a Christmas party. How fun would that be to share all these foods I have made with my fermenting friends.Read More »

This is probably the dessert I make the most for birthdays or something special. The cupcakes are gluten free and taste like a brownie. The topping is super creamy and probiotic. It’s my favorite cupcake recipe.Read More »

Last year I had a cultured food Christmas class and this was one of the things I made and served. I am an eggnog fanatic and I wait all year to enjoy this special treat. I even have a special bottle that says eggnog to put it in.Read More »

I love Yule logs and my dad always bought our family one every New Years Eve. Whenever I see a Yule log it always reminds me of him and since he is no longer with us, I try to find ways through out my life to remember and celebrate him. This Yule log does just that.[Read More »

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